Wouldn’t You Agree?

Would you agree with me if I told you that most people are good people? That’s a tough question that would no doubt result in an epic debate and perhaps a few casualties. However, I find that when we frame a question with our own point of view, we are usually just looking for someone to stroke our ego. It seems that leaving your audience with only a yes or no response usually begs a positive response. To do otherwise could cause offense to the speaker or interrupt the speaker’s train of thought.

I am not arguing that to be objective we shouldn’t express our opinions but rather that we recognize the pitfalls of framing and seeking out affirmation. If you want a truthful opinion ask for it rather than confirm you own, since you may stand to benefit from a fresh perspective. You can also effectively alienate your audience by leaving no room for the dialogue to go both ways after which you may even observe disagreement in body language. If you haven’t yet I strongly recommend reading a book on the subject try my recommendation.

I suppose looking for confirmation has useful applications in business, especially in sales. The less room you leave for possible disagreement the more likely you are to impulse the customer and make the sale.

“So you want An air conditioner with at least 8,000 BTU’s and you want it to be energy efficient?”
(I am currently without so any AC seems likes good deal to me)

It’s tough to disagree with “sexy” attributes that are universal to most consumers. Just make sure you’re not missing out on the deterministic attributes that are specific to your needs as this could lead to buyer’s remorse in the form of cognitive dissonance. Be wary of this confirmation bias and recognize that it can lead you to overlook important details which could lead to a black swan event. Because at the end of the day we all just want to make the best decisions possible, right?